647 - The Outcast Writer of a Martial Arts Visual Novel

Sichuan's early summer is as scorching as the midsummer in other regions. Even standing still makes beads of sweat trickle down one's skin in the basin-structured land, which irritates not only the locals of Sichuan but even the martial artists who visit, due to the heated air that fills each inhale and exhale. Of course, the weather in Sichuan isn't solely negative. The fertile land yields abundant harvests, and the unique heat has contributed to the development of spicy cuisine. Moreover, the environment that favors the growth of numerous poisonous substances has allowed a group of people practicing rare martial arts to thrive, a feat not easily seen throughout Zhongyuan. "Are you ready?" Sichuan Tang family estate. The old high master of the Tang family, Dok Mu Hu, who had once instilled fear in those from the dark sects during the Great Justice War, asked her disciple, whom she had taken in later in life. "..." "Take your time." Dok Mu Hu didn't rush her disciple, who was focusing with closed eyes. It was the kind of heat that heralded the arrival of summer in Sichuan. Though she, having reached the level of mastery that defied the extremes of hot and cold, was unbothered, her disciple wasn't quite there yet. A single bead of sweat appeared on the forehead of the woman with purple hair. It smoothly ran down her cheek, as if it had chosen the wrong spot to form. The trail of sweat shone as if polished like a ceramic, and no one would have guessed that her skin, smooth like a child's, had been hideous until not too long ago. Beads of sweat gathered and followed the curve of her clavicle. There unfolded a valley that could overwhelm anyone, should they dare venture into such bold explorations. Slowly, gathered strength was released as the droplet snaked along, creating a boundary like a waterway on dry land. The endless-seeming gorge; the adventure ended easily. The woman, frowning, brushed away the trickling stream. The sun, fierce and unbearable, shone back on her appearance. A strong gaze that seemed unavoidable for some reason. For men with weak spirits, merely meeting her eyes would make them want to turn away, though anyone would be awestruck by her intense beauty. Such was the beauty of the woman acknowledged as the fairest among all in the Sichuan Tang family. "Yes, I'm ready." The woman's name was Tang Hwa Rin. —— "Eat it." Dok Mu Hu took out a pill from a small box. Poisonous aura waved around it. It was an extreme poison capable of reducing those who consumed it to mere bone dust. Naturally, Tang Hwa Rin did not hesitate to consume it. To a poison master, the pill's poison was akin to casting a handful of salt into a vast ocean. "I'll begin." Digested poison oozed from the master of poison's hands. "Bawk bawk!" Chickens have some resistance to poison. Of course, not enough to withstand the poison of the millennium-old turtle, but sufficient for training. The poisonous aura slinked into the chicken coop. At this rate, the chickens inside would die, as Tang Hwa Rin also understood. Another kind of poison released from Tang Hwa Rin's body. Although the mixture of poisons created a suspicious light, it did not claim the chickens' lives. The target was the venomous insect trapped within the small coop. The poison locked onto its target rushed towards the venomous insect. “Got it!” Finally, she managed to target and kill just the thumb-sized venomous insect among the chickens. Tang Hwa Rin cheered in success, but her master shook her head in regret. "We shall stop here." It was understandable. "Bawk…bawk." The chickens near the venomous insect had also perished. "Another chicken dish for dinner, then." Once more, she had failed. —— "It's too difficult." Not tolerating even the slightest mistake with the poisonous aura training. No matter how much of a poison master one might be, this training was beyond conventional ways, grumbled Tang Hwa Rin to her master. "No need to hurry." She was nearly moved by the care with which her master casually placed some side dishes on her spoon, reminding her to eat vegetables as well. But she was sorry for the chickens that ended up as boiled chicken stew. "We've been eating chicken dishes for over two weeks now." “If you tire of stew, ask for it fried.” “Master.” “There are countless martial artists who swing their swords tens of thousands of times to cross a wall. Are you complaining just because you've eaten chicken dishes for a few weeks?” “I just hate that I feel stuck.” Tang Hwa Rin puckered her lips, speaking in a pouting tone. “Is this about your fiancé?” “Yoon Ho is probably working hard alone in Uichang. And with the weather getting hotter.” Tang Hwa Rin fiddled with her food, feeling guilty about eating chicken dishes while away from her fiancé. “You know Hu Bei isn't as hot as Sichuan, don't you?” “Still. With the heat, he doesn’t even have someone to bring him a cold drink. What if he collapses from exhaustion after working and writing late into the night?” In her mind's eye, she pictured her fiancé sweating alone and struggling to get through the day. At times like this, she would bring him an iced water. When he approached with a desperate face, she would pour the cold water on his chest. If Yoon Ho looked at her with a stunned expression, she would reply with a mischievous face. "Want a sip?” ‘Goodness. I must've lost my mind to the heat. What am I even thinking?’ Meeting a wall, it seemed all sorts of thoughts invaded her mind. Tang Hwa Rin lowered her head, trying to hide her flushed face. “Even Tang Jeong nearly ruined his efforts, feeling rushed while chasing the Shadow Fiend. Remember how he calmed his mind and created the Triple Poison?” “True, but.” Master, lately, your Tang family tales seem to have become more frequent. Her disciple didn’t particularly mention it. “Why not take up a hobby?” Tang OkRan softly smiled at her disciple who felt impatient from facing a wall. “A hobby?” Tang OkRan nodded. Constantly hitting against a wall wouldn’t always break it. Sometimes, one needed to put it down and take a break. “Surely there's something you'd find joy in, something to your liking. Think of something that can soothe your heart.” “Yoon Ho.” “...” Tang OkRan, feeling a sudden twinge, unconsciously brought her hand to her forehead. “Oh! Right! I like reading too.” “Reading your fiancé's books, you mean?” “Chuckle.” Her disciple did not deny it and just laughed. “It’s quite serious.” Oh, how much she loves him. Even Tang OkRan couldn't help but offer a smiling glance at her disciple's candid demeanor. “The more novels I read, the less I see the words, and the more I see Yoon Ho.” “You see your fiancé?” "Yoon Ho pretends to be indifferent, but actually infuses his personal tastes into his novels. It’s either cunning or fascinating. It’s fun to discover new facets of him." "Was that why you were practicing something rather risqué alone in your room?" Tang OkRan recalled her disciple, flustered after being caught practicing something with her hands over her chest. "Hehe. Just wait, I’m sure he’ll ask me to do it one day. Last time when Yoon Ho touched me, he pretended like he wasn’t interested but gazed at me with such intensity, and his hands, so... suggestive..." In fact, the valley fantasy she entertained earlier was inspired by a scene from volume two of "Tang Family Winds." "You’ve never kept anything from your master, have you?" "Suunniiimm." "Enough. Sometimes you should find somewhere else for your mind to rest apart from martial arts training. Surely there must be something you enjoyed when you were younger." Tang Hwa Rin managed a slightly bitter smile at her master’s question. "I've never really had any proper hobbies since I was young because I was always unwell." Pain eats away at a person. It stifles their thoughts. While bedridden by the suffering of a poison expert, there were never opportunities for trivial pastimes. "Thanks to your fiancé, you’ve been able to find a hobby now, haven’t you? Try to discover one." "Right!" Indeed. Just like master said, this life was given by Yoon Ho. Yes, this is the time to earnestly seek a hobby. Tang Hwa Rin nodded enthusiastically. "Other than practicing for nighttime activities." "Tsk." How did she know? Tang Hwa Rin tried to pretend she hadn't heard her master's clucking of the tongue in disappointment. --- "Is Ui Gakju around?" Dok Mu Hu, after encouraging her disciple's quest for new hobbies, went looking for Ui Gakju. "Dok Mu Hu? I heard someone came to take chickens for training with poisonous energy in the garden. Did you come in person?" Ui Gakju, Tang Mugi, was surprised by the unexpected visit and greeted Dok Mu Hu. "Since everyone's busy, those who are free must act. Have there been any messages from Uichang?" "I heard they're setting up an emergency communication network at the Sichuan Escort’s Uichang branch, but no messages have arrived yet." "I see..." Uncharacteristically, there was a trace of wistfulness in Dok Mu Hu's voice. Ui Gakju didn’t need to ask who she was waiting to hear from. "No news is good news, isn’t it?" "The problem is the child beside me who is worrying herself to death." "Hwa Rin seems to be very concerned about her fiancé." "Why is she in such a hurry? Encountering a temporary setback in a training that takes ten years and she wears such a long face." The disciple Dok Mu Hu took on first absorbed her poison techniques swiftly, like she'd waited decades to learn them. Like a fish encountering water or a bird finding its wings. Dok Mu Hu often had to control her expressions to hide her amazement in front of her disciple. But after hitting just one wall, she's all deflated. "Perhaps she’s eager to get married quickly." "Even marrying a little late isn’t a problem if she’s with her match. Even those who learn some martial arts late marry eventually. Despite her being past forty, her beauty would remain due to martial prowess, what’s the rush?" Reaching a certain level in martial arts slows aging. If Dok Mu Hu, in her seventies, didn’t have white hair, she'd resemble a beautiful middle-aged woman. Why the child who's supposed to inherit it all is in such a hurry, Tang OkRan sighed softly. "Why are you smiling?" Tang OkRan asked as she noticed Ui Gakju smiling curiously. "You seem like a worried mother fretting over her daughter." "...What luxury and splendor would I enjoy at this age?" Dok Mu Hu, Tang OkRan—a woman who had always desired children. Having a disciple for the first time, she was experiencing a mix of emotions towards her disciple's friendly yet uninhibited nature. Dok Mu Hu fell silent, caught in strange feelings. "Everyone is listening intently for news from Uichang, if anything happens, we'll hear of it soon." "Is that so." Dok Mu Hu agreed with a nod. Certainly, Tang Hwa Rin wasn’t the only one anxious for news from Uichang. Listening intently would reveal the fervent conversations readily audible nearby. "When is the fourth volume of the Tang Family Winds coming out!" "The third one came out earlier this year, it should take about half a year to write, shouldn't it?" "Ah! I want to see Tang Jeong unite with the beauty master!" "Don’t say that so loudly, idiot!" "Tut tut." Tang OkRan had no choice but to click her tongue at the overheard conversation. "Isn’t it youthful vigor? If it's bothersome, I’ll tell them to be quiet..." "The true delight of the Tang Family Winds isn’t just that." "..." The novel offered much more than fleeting moments of ecstasy. Dok Mu Hu only felt regret. "We have a problem!!!" It was when Dok Mu Hu, after enjoying tea with Ui Gakju and receiving chickens to use, was about to leave. A martial artist hurried in, looking for Ui Gakju. "What’s the matter?" "News just arrived from Uichang." "From Uichang?" "Could it be about Kang Yunho, that child?" News from Uichang, accompanied by a frantic expression. Could something have happened? The message that followed left both of them stunned. "Kang Gongja’s Dasukak has fallen into the hands of Mang Geumjeon!"